DE 10 2005 024 041 A1 discloses a method for producing silicon from halosilanes which comprises a first step of converting the halosilane to a halogenated polysilane by producing a plasma discharge and a subsequent, second step of decomposing the halogenated polysilane to silicon by heating.
PCT-EP 2008/002109, unpublished at the priority date of the present invention, describes a process and apparatus for plasma-supported synthesis of halogenated polysilanes or polygermanes. In this process, halosilanes or halogermanes are converted to halogenated oligo- and polysilanes or oligo- and polygermanes in a plasma-supported manner.
DE 10 2007 013 219.2, unpublished at the priority date of the present invention, relates to a process and apparatus for plasma-supported synthesis of halogenated oligo- and polymers of main groups III to V, wherein particularly the Cl- or F-halogenated elements Si, Ge, Sn and B of main groups III to V are brought to plasma-supported polymerization using H2.
The prior art processes described above each utilize a single chain-former comprising a halogen compound of main groups III to V, for example a halosilane (SiCl4) or a halogermane (GeCl4). A plasma is produced, with hydrogen in particular, to effectuate the desired polymerization for production of, for example, halogenated polysilanes or halogenated polygermanes.